Computing devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, cellular phones, and countless types of Internet-capable devices are increasingly prevalent in numerous aspects of modern life. As such, the demand for data connectivity via the Internet, cellular data networks, and other such networks, is growing. However, there are many areas of the world where data connectivity is still unavailable, or if available, is unreliable and/or costly.
Some systems may provide network access to remote locations or to locations with limited networking infrastructure via a balloon network operating in the stratosphere. Because of the various forces experienced by these balloons during deployment and operation, there is a balancing of needs between flexibility and stability of materials. The balloons may be made of more flexible envelope material configured in sections or lobes to create a “pumpkin”-type or lobed balloon. The lobes may be supported by tendon structures. Typically, the tendons are heat sealed into seams between lobes of the balloons or taped to the outside of the envelope with a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape. When such techniques are performed manually, the efforts become extremely time-consuming and may have low consistency.